Recently I had the opportunity while visiting Baltimore, Maryland to visit the B&O Railroad Museum which appropriately enough is centered in and around a roundhouse.
Now, growing up in the UK, as a child of the 50's I had a number of Toby Twirl picture books. One of the memorable images from those books was an eccentric railway locomotive named The Dillypuff. It reappeared in a number of stories and had a very distinctive appearance, a parody of a traditional American 4-4-0 locomotive.
Imagine my surprise when in the B&O Museum I encountered PIONEER. Clearly this was the artist, E. Jeffrey's inspiration for Dillypuff. It's hard for me to believe that this locomotive really exists, yet it does. A case of truth being stranger than fiction?
Terranova47
USA
I love this.
ReplyDeleteIt's a thing you remembered from childhood, but never thought you'd actually see. And then, decades later, there it is !
What a joy Terra. A lucky delight.
What a strange little locomotive. I know that B&O is the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, but I had to look up C.V.R.R. This is the Cumberland Valley Rail Road. The Pioneer was built in 1851, and saw service during the American Civil War. That makes her 173 years old.
ReplyDeleteI have not heard of Toby Twirl before.
We actually Live in the Cumberland Valley Area. There are a few sight seeing/excursion trains that run in the area including a steam engine.
DeleteThough, nothing like the Dillypuff!
Great post with a nice shot of the informational panel for added detail!
ReplyDeleteWhat IS that Toby Twirl? Obviously a Rupert lookalike, but is he a pig?
Toby Twirl was indeed a pig. There were two sets of books published by Sampson Low, Marston & Co in the 40's and 50's the other being Nicholas Thomas, a talking cat. Boh series were beautifully illustrated and imaginative. The publisher added a third series: Noddy. The success of which led to the first two series being dropped as Noddy appealed to a wider audience,
ReplyDeleteEarly steam locomotives were awesome in their strange and imaginative design, and the Pioneer is a good example. My parents both grew up in Western Pennsylvania, so I saw many B&O trains in my childhood. A great road! SFZ
ReplyDeleteLovely story and adventure this Terran, when things come together. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete